'I had my son in my arms when I trained my first winner - I didn’t think 17 years later he'd ride his first winner for me'

Trainer  Adrian Sexton was yesterday toasting a "very special" family moment after he provided his son and amateur jockey Harry with his first victory under rules on Thursday evening. 

The Kildare-based handler was in attendance at Tipperary to see Harry steer the Marc Salmon-owned 25-1 outsider Katherine to victory in the 2m handicap hurdle.

It was a special victory for the Sexton family, who returned to Ireland in 2020 after moving to Australia in 2016.

The winning trainer said: "It’s ironic because Harry was in my arms when I trained my first winner at Tramore with a horse called Bawn Og. I didn’t think 17 years later he'd ride his first winner for me. 

"It was very special, and for me to give him that moment was even more significant. I don’t think it’ll be too long before he gets his conditional licence.

"I’ve been running horses in bumpers to give him as much experience as I could. We were away living in Australia and he missed out on pony racing."

Sexton explained the reason to leave Ireland was down to the collapse of the Celtic Tiger – the name given to the rapidly growing economy in the country in the late 2000s.

He said: "It was when things were bad in Ireland and we wanted a change of scenery. With Janet being a midwife, it was very easy to go there. We’re all Australian citizens and I tell my lads they’re half Aussie now whether they like it or not. 

"It was always the plan to come home. It’s hard now for every small trainer but back then it was impossible."

Harry Sexton: steers Katherine on the way to victory at TipperaryCredit: Patrick McCann

After moving back to Ireland, Sexton took out his training licence again and is in the process of building up a team of horses with the help of his family.

He added: "It’s a family affair. Harry’s brother Dara is here in the yard and we don’t hire any staff as we have a small team of horses. Although we’re looking for more, we’re just starting again so it’s hard to get them in. 

"Harry rides out full-time for Peter Fahey and, alongside his sister Clara and mother Janet, we do it all together. My father stood stallions for years so Harry grew up around all that."

Katherine provided Sexton with his second winner since his return as Bears Hug won on the Flat at Dundalk in October.

"We’re trying to kick-start again," he added. "We’ve just finished putting the roof on our new stables and we’re trying to do everything fresh. We want a small but select group of owners as we want to work with a nice team.

"Each horse gets a minimum of two hours out, whether that's for grass or work, because they spend a lot of time in the stable. It’s important to keep them happy because they have the ability to show you."

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